Inking mechanism



Oct. 6, 1931. FANKBQNER 1,825,999

INKING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 24, 1929 2 Shee'cs$heer l 7 INVENTOR.

BY 1 A Patented Oct. 6, 1931 V A Tree. sTaTEs PATENT orri ce HARLAND ralvmsonnnfor CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, nssrenon To THE eoss rnnv'rm rnnss COMPANY, A CORPORATION. or ILLINOIS INKING MECHANISM Application filed August 24, 1929. Serial No. 388,091.

- My invention relates to new and useful improvements in printing, and more partic ularly to improvements in the ink fountain of printing presses and to a method of regulating the quantity of ink fed from the fountain and for keeping'the pigment of the ink uniformly distributed throughout the body of the ink in the fountain.- My invention may be applied either to an ink fountain having an undershot, or an overshot'fountain roller.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims. Theinvention consists in the novel parts, construction, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate oneembodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to eXplain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings 1- Figure 1 is a vertical section through an ink fountain of the undershot type embodying one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation looking from the right of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is'a vertical section through an overshot ink fountain embodying the present invention; and

Figure 4c is a fragmentary elevation looking from the right ofFigure 3.

The present invention provides an ink fountainhaving improved means for regulating the amount of ink delivered to the form by the fountain roller and as embodied, the eXoess ink on the fountain roller is cut from the fountain roller or diverted from the fountain roller while moving at a relatively high speed, substantially the same as the peripheral speed of the fountain roller. According to certain embodiments of the invention, the fountain blade and ink reservoir are constructed to provide a substantiallypocketless ink container within which theink canfreely circulate, and these parts are preferably so arranged with respect to the fountain roller that the excess ink is removed from the fountam roller and directed across the bottom of the fountain to agitate the ink therein andcording to which the fountain blade is disposed oppositely to the direction of rotation of the fountain-roller thereby preventing the wedging of small particles of foreign matter between the roller and the blade with a consequent undesired opening of the blade causing irregularity in the inking.

'My invention also provides an ink fountain which requires less power for its operation and with which it is impossible for the press operator to tighten the blade against the rollers to an excessive extent. Heretofore, in the usual construction of ink fountains, the operator has been able to tension the blade to any desired extent causing the roller to spring andlift in its journals and also causing needless power consumption. In the present embodiment, the fountain blade is normally tensioned to bear with the desired and necessary maximum pressure and a plurality of means areprovided along the length of the fountain blade to variably position the blade with respect to the fountain roller and thereby vary the amount of ink fed from the fountain along the fountain in accordance with the requirements of the various forms receiving their ink from the fountain.

My invention finds its greatest field of usefulness in connection with magazine presses, but it will also be found admirably suited to other types of presses, such as newspaper presses.

Itwill be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well, are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictivethereof.

Referring to the accompanying drawings illustrative of the present preferred embodiments of the invention, Figures 1 and 2 show the invention as applied to an undershot ink fountain." As there shown, the ink fountain comprises a trough or reservoir formed of a forwardly inclined bottom wall 10, a side wall 11 integral therewith and suitable end walls 12 within which the usual fountain roller 13 is rotatably journalled. At each end of the fountain are dependin lugs 14 by which the fountain is securely fastened to the )ress frame 15 b screws 16.

It eans are provi ed for retaining the ink Within the fountain and for preventing the feeding of excess ink from the fountain and as embodied, comprise a resilient fountain blade 17 extending across the forward side of the ink fountain and closing the space between the bottom 10 of the fountain and the fountain roller 13. and held firmly in place by means of plate 18 and cap screws 19.

For circulating the ink in the fountain and maintaining it in a thoroughly mixed condition the fountain blade 17 is preferably positioned to remove fast moving excess ink from the fountain roller 13 and direct the excess ink so removed across the bottom 10 of the fountain to lift any settled pigmentous particlcs and impel them throughout the mass of ink, as shown by the arrows in Figure 1. The

convection currents induced by the rotation of the fountain roller constantly agitate substantially the entire body of ink in the fountain and prevent variation in color due to poorly mixed or settled ink. In the preferred embodiment, the forward side of the bottom 10 of the fountain is preferably upwardly inclined to form with the blade 17 a substantially pocketless ink reservoir, the inclined portion 20 serving to direct and bend the currents of ink away from the blade and across the bottom of the fountain.

According to the present invention, the excess ink on the fountain roller is cut from the fountain roller and for this purpose the fountain blade 17 is disposed oppositely to the direction of rotation of the fountain roller (as shown in Fig. 1) and preferably the blade is tangent to a circle of slightly less diameter than the fountain roller and concentric therewith. This construction prevents undesired wedging open of the fountain blade by foreign particles being dragged into and accumulating in the space between the roller and the blade, which has caused annoying variations in the inking. Heretofore, not only did the rotation of the ink roller tend to pull these foreign particles be tween the roller and the blade, but having pulled them into this position, further rotation of the roller would cause them to move towards the point of contact and force the blade away from the fountain roller, thereby opening the blade at each side of the particle and permitting an excessive quantity of ink to be carried on by the fountain roller and eventually to the form.

In the customary types of ink fountains. when the pressman wishes to feed only a very small quantity of ink from the fountain, it is customary to force the fountain blade against the fountain roller using a high degree of pressure, and great difiiculty is experienced in determining just how hard the blade should press against the roller to reduce the inking to a minimum. This excessive pressure springs the fountain roller or lifts it in its bearings, making it impossible to secure correct adjustment of the ink and to correct this it is necessary to relieve the entire blade and readjust it to a proper position for correct distribution of ink. According to the present invention, these difliculties are entirely overcome by providing a resilient blade normally tensioned to press against the fountain roller 13 with the maximum necessary pressure.

For regulating the amount of ink delivered by the fountain roller to the forms with which it is associated, there are provided a plurality of adjusting means throughoutthe length of the fountain blade for moving the edge of the blade the desired or necessary distance away from the fountain roller. As embodied, there are provided a plurality of individual bell cranks 21 pivoted on the blade retaining plate 18 by means of lugs 22 and pins 23, the upper ends of the bell cranks 21 pressing against the fountain blade 17 and being individually variably positionable by means of adjusting thumb screws 24 threadedlv mounted in lugs 25at the rear edge of and below the fountain, the unthreaded forward ends 26 of these screws 24 passing through guide holes 27 and bearin against the depending ends 28 of hell cranks 21. A locking nut 29 may be provided for locking the screw 24 in the desired adjusted position. As screws 25 are turned to move them forwardly, the motion is transmitted to blade 17 to space it from roller 13, thereby increasing the amount of ink delivered by the roller. The several screws 25 can, of course, beindividually adjusted to vary the amount of ink at different parts of the roller.

Preferably, and as here shown, the fountain blade 17 is so positioned, that it contacts with the fountain roller 13 at a point substantially above the bottom of the ink trough, thus eliminating any tendency of the blade to allow relatively large particles of pigment to remain on the roller 13. This feature, particularly when the blade is disosed oppositely to the direction of rotation of the roller, practically insures that dirt and large particles of pigment will not be fed to the form, and the ink not removed from the roller is thoroughly mixed immediately in advance of the fountain blade.

Referri now to Figures 3 and 4, the invention is s own as applied to an overshot ink fountain and the embodiment shown in the drawings presents substantially the same advantages as those described in connection with the undershot fountain. In this embodiment there is provided the usual ink trough or container having an inclined bottom 30, sides 31 and end plates 32, the fountain roller 33 being rotatably journalled in the end plates 32. The reservoir is provided on its under side with drain plugs 34 facilitating the removal of the ink from the fountain. The fountain may be secured to the press frame by means of screws 35, passing through depending lugs 36.

Cooperating with the overshot fountain roller are means for varying the amount of ink fed by the fountain roller by removing a portion of the ink carried by the fountain roller, and, as embodied, fountain blade 37 is disposed oppositely to the direction of rotation of the fountain roller and is positioned to cooperate with the fountain blade to cut the excess ink from the roller and return it to the fountain. Fountain blade 37 is preferably firmly held in position and is supported throughout its length by frame 38 secured to the top of the fountain by cap screws 39, the blade being held on frame 38 by means of plate 40 and screws 41.

As in the previously described embodiment, the blade is preferably resilient and normally tensioned and positioned to press against roller 33 with the maximum necessary force, thereby preventing the operator from unduly forcing the blade with the consequent undesirable effects.

For variably positioning the blade to regulate the amount of ink to be delivered by the fountain roller and for varying this amount along the length of the roller, there are pro vided a plurality of bell cranks 4C2 pivotally mounted by pins 43 in lugs 44 on plate 40, the lower ends of the bell cranks pressing against the blade near the point of its contact with roller 33. These bell cranks are in turn moved by adjusting thumb screws 45 threadedly mounted in the upstanding lugs 47, integral with the frame 38 and held in adjusted position by locking nuts 46; As the screws are individually adjusted, a corresponding movement of the corresponding portion of the blade is produced giving the desired adjustment.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is 1. In an ink fountain for printing presses, the combination of a fountain roller, a resilient fountain blade normally tensioned and positioned to press against the fountain roller and to out the surplus ink from the fountain roller as the roller rotates, and means for variably positioning the blade along the length of the roller to vary the amount of ink 7 fed along the fountain.

2. The method of regulating the quantity of ink fed from an ink fountain by a fountain roller which includes rotating the fountain roller, removing therefrom a portion of the ink moving at substantially the peripheral speed of the roller and directing the ink so removed through the mass of ink in the fountain.

3. In an ink fountain, the combination of a fountain roller, a substantially vertical fountain blade extending upwardly into contact with the roller, and together with the roller retaining the mass of ink within the fountain whereby the ink is maintained in circulation in the fountain.

4. In an ink fountain, the combination of a fountain roller, a resilient fountain blade resiliently pressed against the fountain roller, below the roller and disposed oppositely to the direction of rotation of the roller, and an ink trough extending laterally and upwardly from the blade and forming a substantially pocketless ink container.

' 5. In an ink fountain, the combination of a fountain roller, a resilient fountain blade extending upwardly into contact with the under side of the roller and an ink trough extending laterally and upwardly from the blade.

6'. In an ink fountain, the combination of a fountain roller, a fountain blade extending upwardly into contact with the under side of the roller and resiliently pressed into contact therewith and disposed oppositely to the direction of rotation of the roller.

7. In an ink fountain, the combination of a fountain roller, an ink trough and a resilient fountain blade extending upwardly into contact with the under side of the fountain roller.

8. In an ink fountain, the combination of a fountain roller, an ink trough, a fountain blade tensioned against the fountain roller and extending upwardly'into contact with the under side of the fountain roller, and means for variably positioning the fountain blade along its length.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HARLAND FANKBONER. 

